March 26, 2005
Shakespeare's Birds in the USA
In 1890, American Eugene Schieffelin dreamed of Shakespeare's birds warbling their 'Old World' songs on the tree branches of his nation, so he imported one hundred starlings from England and released them into the skies of New York City...
[caption @]
...the European Starling has become one of the most numerous birds on the North American continent. Its successful spread is believed to have come at the expense of many native birds that compete with the starling for nest holes.
photo and "All About" the European Starling link see also Avian Immigrants and their impact in the United States
~It's odd that Eugene Schieffelin and the NY club that so altered America's bird population is not well known, considering. (Perhaps the many ways his name can be spelled spared him notoriety?)
I learned today that probably the first bird I saw as a child and the one most US city dwellers are familiar with, the "House Sparrow" is also one of Mr. Schieffelin's.
I have to pay attention to people's ideals and visions. The news is filled with stories of greed, lust, vanity and hatred, but those stories are only a small part of the spectrum of human desires that can affect our lives.
Posted by Cieciel at March 26, 2005 10:11 PM